Chelsea's plans for the return of supporters to Stamford Bridge next month have been criticised by a fans' group, which has labelled £75 ticket prices for the game against Leeds as a "clear exploitation of supporter loyalty".
With London put in tier two of the Government's regionalised approach to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, the Blues will be able to welcome up to 2,000 spectators to their ground when the national lockdown ends on December 2.
Next Saturday's Premier League fixture against Leeds and the December 8 visit of Krasnodar in the Champions League are to be the subject of a ballot system, which has left the Chelsea Supporters Trust (CST) "extremely disappointed".
Following today's announcement by @ChelseaFC on the return of #Chelsea supporters to Stamford Bridge. The CST has released the following statement ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nrpHJrm4ZL — ChelseaSupportersTrust (@ChelseaSTrust) November 28, 2020
While Chelsea say they "empathise with the many who will be disappointed to initially miss out", the CST was led to believe "tickets would be sold on 50 per cent loyalty points and 50 per cent on a first come, first served basis".
Chelsea added in a statement on their website: "We listened to all the feedback, and we appreciate that not everyone will agree with the system being put in place.
"But at the very heart of all the decisions we have made on this matter is the desire to be as fair as possible to as many as possible. We ask for your patience as we work our way through all season ticket holders eligible to attend."
Chelsea, who have already booked their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League, have fixed the price of the Krasnodar match at £35 in both the West Stand lower tier and the Shed End lower tier.
Important information on the return of fans to Stamford Bridge. — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 28, 2020
However, for the Leeds game supporters will be charged £75 for the West Stand lower tier and £40 for the Shed End lower tier.
The CST's statement, published on Twitter, said: "The club, in their wisdom, have decided to charge an eye-watering £75 for the majority of sold tickets.
"The CST is also appalled to learn that this price is the highest that any PL club is charging for tickets. At a time of financial uncertainty, for CFC to charge supporters £75 for a match ticket, the CST believe that this is a clear exploitation of supporter loyalty.
"The CST have expressed our disappointment and anger to the club representatives in a phone meeting (on Saturday morning) and will continue to push for a more appropriate scheme in the upcoming months."
